XMen: Shifting Sands
by Nate Aledor
Summary: An ancient evil is awakened in the weeks following Alkali Lake and only the X-Men, with the help of some new arrivals stand a chance at stopping it. Please R&R, it's my first X-Fic! I want to know what you think! Completed!
1. Prologue

**X-Men**

**Shifting Sands**

**Prologue**

Egypt 1935

Like any other day it was hot, with the sands whipping up and warning of an impending storm front.

Dr. Nathaniel Essex turned his head briefly to the horizon, squinting beneath the wide-brimmed hat he wore and nodded to his chaperone; who then led him into the megalithic sandstone temple before them.

From the outside, most of the structure had laid hidden beneath the sand dunes and only, seemingly accidentally, discovered in recent days.

Dr. Essex was the first man to catch a glimpse of its interior, in nearly five thousand years and he took the moment in with a feeling of pride.  After all, he led the archeological team, made up of peasant workers and watched feverishly as they found the entrance and broke it down.

With a long exhale the doctor took a step inside after his guide and traced his lantern along the walls.  Unlike the great tombs, these walls were filled with the ancient ideograms and hieroglyphics and depicted a paradise that had been taken away.

In the eerie silence the two men continued along and suddenly Essex paused, staring at an image before him, carved into the wall.  "Here you are at last," he said, his voice thick with an English accent.  "It has been so long."

The image was of a god, his left hand blocking the sun and his right, clutching the scepter of the pharaoh.  Beneath the carving and inscribed in the hand of the ancients, was …

En Sabah Nur 

**The Apocalypse of Mankind**  

I know…. Very short, but really it's only to wet your appetites for what may come.  Keep checking up, as there's sure to be more updated soon.

_-Ryko_


	2. The Coming

Let me just say first off that I don't own any of the rights to any X-Men stuff.  I'm a fan writer, so naturally all my stuff is for public viewing; and without any intention to make profit.  Nor will I ever (in any of my fan-based writing) accept profit, payment or compensation. 

Secondly this story takes place just after X2 and will probably not fit in with X3 (if it ever gets made).  So you may eventually want to think of this as an alternate universe thing, but until X3 don't worry about it.  I'll update as often as I can… which for most people who've read my stuff… is quite often.

-Ryko 

Chapter 1: The Coming 

New York City The not too distant future

His bare skin burned as the hot air rippled over him, frequently followed by flashes of pain.

He didn't flinch.  He merely ground his teeth and let the pain subside; and soon the feeling passed, leaving an almost itchy feeling on his naked body.

He blinked a few times and looked around from his crouched position, disoriented as to his strange and cluttered surroundings.  He was outside, but between buildings he didn't recognize and the smell of garbage, filled his nostrils.

_Did I make it?_  He thought… _Have I arrived finally?_

Out on the street a car drove quickly by and the stranger leapt back, ducking behind a dumpster.  At his feet was a pile of dusty clothes and a pair of boots; and so he knelt, beginning to rummage through them.

Tattered jeans and a black, oil-stained t-shirt clung tightly to his muscular frame, his long, white hair in stark contrast.  The boots fit loosely and with some more sifting, the stranger came across a dark overcoat, the edges frayed.

Conscientiously he looked down to his left hand and sighed, the glow from a nearby streetlamp gleaming off his chromed fingertips.

_Stab his eyes…_ he thought. 

Slowly he started out onto the street and a _twinge_ in his mind caused him to look to one side in the direction of a group of people.  Outwardly they looked violent, wearing chains and spiked hardware.  It wasn't that that had caused him to look.  It was that a group of 'flatscans' had a mutant in their group and either they didn't know… or didn't care.

The stranger smiled lightly and continued on, wanting to attract as little attention as possible.  He looked down to his hand once more and shook his head.

_No one would probably notice anyway._

Westchester

Xavier School for the Gifted

Professor Charles Xavier, mentor to many, but most importantly… a mutant.  His powers are incredible in their scope, though even so… he still frowns at his shortcomings.

"_Jean… where are you?_"  The sentence came out as little more than a bare thought, amplified by the amazing computer – Cerebro – and sent out into the world, only audible by one specific target.

From here, in the mansion's inner sanctum, Professor 'X' could monitor the mutants all around the globe, but he sighed at his failure to find one certain individual.

His eyes suddenly snapped open as he felt something he had never experienced.  At first he thought it was _her_… sending out a backlash of psychic pain, but closer reflection told him he was mistaken.

Or was he?

With a thought he narrowed his field of thought and focused in onto the mutant.  He closed his eyes once more and saw the dirty streets of New York City, saw the gang of street punks and finally saw him.

_And who are you?_  The professor thought.

There was something altogether alien about the stranger, but yet something familiar and with that feeling came a ray of hope in Xavier's mind.

The mansion was quiet, very few people willing to say anything.  It had been nearly a week since Jean had disappeared and the tension was obvious.  It was hard for everyone to cope with the loss of such a beautiful spirit, but the loss didn't affect any as much as it did two in particular.

Scott sat alone in his room – _in their room_ – quietly sobbing beneath his ruby-quarts glasses and gently holding a picture of him and Jean.  It was from when they first fell in love.  It was taken out in the garden in the middle of the summer and he remembered how the sun had made her hair shine brightly red.

Of course to someone like Cyclops, everything looked red.  But that day had been special.  She seemed so much more vibrant and every day since he had seen her the same way as he did that day.

Slowly he lowered his head, placing the picture on the bed beside him and started to cry.

The mysterious man known to most as the Wolverine, stalked purposefully towards the sleek motorcycle in the garage and even without seeing or hearing he knew he had been followed.

"I don't like goodbyes… you know that."

The young woman took a step forward from the doorway and approached him.  With a thick southern accent she spoke softly.  "You runnin'?"

Logan paused and turned to meet her, his face stern as it always was.  "I'll be back.  I'm gunna find her Marie… and I'll come back.  I promise."

Rogue's eyes started to water and she quickly rubbed the tears away with a gloved hand.  "Hurry back, won't ya?"

With a nod, Logan mounted the bike and in seconds was speeding away.


	3. Sandstorm

**Chapter 2: Sandstorm**

Elsewhere

Nathaniel Essex paced vigorously, awaiting the arrival of a certain package.  Over the decades his body had seemed to cease its' aging, though he seemed _different_.  His skin had become paler and his stringy, jet-black hair now hung passed his shoulders.

He smiled wickedly at the sound of a faint knock, his blackened lips stretching hideously.  "At last… more time then possibly imaginable has passed and… at last _you_ have finally arrived."

He greeted the foul shell of a human – no, mutant – at the door and took the small crate from her and beckoned her to follow close behind.  Without question she did so, cautiously keeping her hands to herself and looking around in wide-eyed disbelief.  "Will that be all sir?  Can I be paid now?"

The sinister host hunched backwards and laughed with more force than a hurricane, finally dying down to a dull giggle.  "I must apologize… of course!"  He stretched out a gloved hand and motioned to a door at the end of a darkened hall, the package held tightly under his other arm.  "After you!"

The woman disappeared into the secluded room, followed closely by the mad doctor and the only noises that followed were _her_ screams… and _Sinister's_ maniacal laughter.

Wolverine slowed the bike when his powerful sense of smell had warned him of something needing his attention.  

"Jean!"  He yelled aloud, parking the bike and dashing down a side street.  He recognized her scent from the moment he passed through the slums of New York and pursued the scent down an alley.

He sprinted as fast as he could, the sun beating down on him from above.  He rounded a corner quickly and spotted a fence at the other end.  Without a thought and by sheer reflex, he popped his claws and dashed forward.  The scent was growing stronger.

"JEAN!"

With one swipe of the razor sharp extensions, he madly cleaved his way through and the adimantium blades retracted as suddenly as they had appeared.

He was back out onto the street and paused.  For a second he looked around, allowing time for his sense of smell to zero in on his quarry, his heart beating ferociously.  Finally he caught her scent and took off again, a group of onlookers eyeing him strangely.

He raced as fast as he could and found himself in the middle of a park.

_She's here_.  He thought.

He slowly pressed on, passed a vagrant on a park bench and stopped dead.  Without a missed beat he spun and took the man by his lapels.  The vagrant fought back, deflecting Logan's clenching fingers and swung, striking him in the jaw with a heavy clank of metal on metal.

They both stopped suddenly.

Wolverine looked the other over, noticing the star-shaped series of scars over one eye and the ominous yellow glow of the other.  "Who are you and where's Jean?"

Well here's another chapter for ya'all… hope you can keep up!

-Ryko


	4. Thunder

Chapter 3: Thunder 

Elsewhere

The laughter was heavy and inhuman, resonating with such depth that the ground beneath Sinister's feet shook.  He couldn't help but smile… he had found the last piece and at last was able to reanimate the towering behemoth before him.

With a lumbering stride he paced closer and examined the mutant he was presented with as an offering.  "Tell me, Sinister… what is this mutant's gift?"

Essex cleared his throat and stepped closer to the black and silver demigod.  "She has the most uncanny ability to drain youth… she takes the very essence of anything she wishes… to prolong her own, short lifespan."  He chuckled.  "And now this mutant is yours to command!"

The thunderous mutant cocked his head, peering down at Sinister.  "And what shall we do with you, my pestilent servant?"

Westchester

Xavier School for the Gifted

It was a Saturday like most that the students of 'Mutant High' could ask for.  A small group played basketball outside in a game where the crowning rule was: No Powers.

Marie sat at the window and watched as Bobby and Jubilee played against the strange, blue skinned 'Nightcrawler' as well as the newest addition to the school.

He was slightly older than the Iceman, with dark, auburn hair and the most extraordinary eyes she had ever seen.  Marie never met him, only seen him from across the classroom but Siren had said his name was Remy.

Remy Labeau.  The Gambit.

A part of her felt bad that she watched _him_ intently, instead of her boyfriend, but since John had left… she felt he had grown cold.  

_At least colder than Ah'm used to_.  She thought innocently.

Rogue sighed.

_Who am ah kiddin'… even Professor X has been diff'rent since…_ her thought trailed off, watching the new recruit score a basket against Bobby.  

She chuckled, knowing how much he hated to lose.  There was something about Remy she couldn't help but find appealing.  Always sitting at the back of the class, wearing a leather jacket and always playing with a deck of cards.

She had even seen him sneak out at night to have a cigarette and she would watch him.  Sometimes she was even certain that he knew she was there… and others, felt that he didn't even know she existed.

Charles Xavier brooded over Cerebro and suddenly became alert of a guest waiting outside for him.  It was Ororo.

He set the helmet down and turned in his wheelchair, gliding over to the entrance to the massive, spherical room, which opened to reveal Storm's silhouette in the corridor.

Without even allowing the question to be vocalized, he answered her.  "I'm fine.  How are _you and the others?_"

Storm nodded.  "We're… I'm worried.  About you."

The Professor nodded.  "I know."

Changing the topic, Ororo stepped into the dimly lit room and motioned to the helmet.  "Have you found anything?"

Charles nodded and turned back.  "As a matter of fact I think I have.  We should know soon… after all Logan has found him as well."

_-Thanks for all the kind words!!!  What can I say: I've been a fan of the X-Men for longer than I can remember.  I even remember characters like Dazzler and Longshot; and remember when Xavier had disappeared and the X-Men fled to Australia._

_Anyway, it's nice that I can do both; please myself with bringing this feel into the movieverse; and get such a great response from other fans._

_So tell me… what other characters would be good for cameos?  Just try not to mention villains, as I already have a story arc that I've thought out._

_-Ryko_


	5. Change in the Wind

Chapter 4: Change in the Wind 

Xavier School for the Gifted

Kitty Pryde lounged lazily on the large sofa, vaguely watching the television as the channels mysteriously kept changing.  Suddenly her temper flared and she turned to the boy sitting next to her.  "Do you have to keep doing that?"

The boy blinked again out of spite and smiled wryly.

Kitty sighed and sat back, forced to put up with the news.  Suddenly the two of them leaned in, listening intently to the anchorwoman.

"… and no one has seen the mysterious 'Angel of Manhattan' in over a day.  Some people are even beginning to wonder, as our crime rate has once again returned to an all time high… what do we do now?"

The channel changed again and Kitty stood.  "That's it!"  She didn't bother to open the door to the corridor, merely phased her way through the paneling and disappeared from sight.

The boy smiled again.  "Sorry… "He said to no one in particular.  "It was boring."

A dark car drove slowly up to the gates of the School and a slender man in a tweed suit reached an arm out to press the call switch.  Almost at the same moment, a voice softly flowed from the speaker.  "Ah… Mr. Prescott.  Come in, won't you?"

The man in tweed smiled from beneath his graying mustache.  "Thank you Charles.  I thought I'd better come after your letter about Jean."

The gates parted quickly and Walter Prescott drove the car inside and up to the main house.

Scott smiled faintly when he saw him enter and approached with a hand held outward and the other pulled him into a hug instead.  "Oh Scott, I'm so sorry."

Cyclops took a step back and nodded.  He knew Mr. Prescott well and it was nice to have him around again.  "You look well.  How are the children doing at the orphanage?" 

Walter smiled.  "They're doing fine.  A lot of them have started to develop some unique abilities.  And what of your life here?"

Scott straightened his glasses.  "We're holding together with everything… that's happened."

Charles Xavier wheeled into the room, a smile touching his face.  "Walter, so glad you could make it."

Prescott shook his head.  "I just wish I cold have seen Jean again, but I'm certain she's still out there just waiting to be found."  His gaze shifted to the attractive young woman that entered the room.  Professor X turned slightly and nodded.

"Ah, Marie.  This is Mr. Prescott.  He runs the orphanage where Scott grew up."

She smiled faintly and greeted the aging man.  "Pleased to meet you."

Walter smiled again.  "And what gift were you blessed with?"

Her smile faded.  "It's more of a curse really.  Ah can't touch anyone without taking a part of them with me."

For a moment the words sunk in and Walter finally turned back to his wheelchair-bound host.  "I'm sorry I can't stay longer, but I have the children to get back to."

Xavier nodded and escorted him to his car.  "Do stop by again, won't you?  Perhaps we can have time to catch up when neither of us are so busy."

Prescott nodded and climbed into the black car and drove away.

Elsewhere

The black car pulled up passed a rusted sign and Mr. Prescott smiled inwardly, reading it over in his head.

Prescott Orphanage 

He stopped the car and climbed out, moving quickly to the main entrance of the dilapidated building.  He stepped inside and suddenly his face seemed to melt away, his whole body seeming to ripple.  Long strips of dark material flowed behind him and his face once again regained its chalky complexion.  A space on his forehead darkened and suddenly a red diamond appeared.

He chuckled lightly, his black lips twisting.  "Ah Charles.  You can bet that you will be seeing me again."

He strode down the dusty and darkened corridors, making his way for the stairs to the lower levels, the strange – almost living – strips of material flowing around him like tendrils.

He disappeared around a corner and gallivanted over to a doorway and stepped through.  The room was dimly lit and a group of thugs all sat around.  "Listen you reprobates, our exalted Highlord may not see the need for you, but _I_ have a mission."

-Well I'm updating faster than I thought I would.  I just had a lot of free time today so I thought I'd make the best of it.

_Just a side note:  I couldn't remember what the name of the guy who ran the orphanage really was, so I took a little artistic liberty with it.  As always I don't own any of the rights. _


	6. Sands of Time

Chapter 5: Sands of Time 

New York City

The X-Jet streaked through the darkening sky, heading straight for where Wolverine had sent his signal.  Storm and Cyclops where alone onboard; and before long, they spotted the clearing with two men and a motorcycle waiting.

Scott pointed ahead as Storm brought the Jet in for a landing.  "Who is he?"

Ororo shook her head.  "The Professor didn't say anything he just told me to go pick them up and return as fast as possible.  Take control, we need cover."  Scott switched the pilot controls to his station, as Storm's eyes blanched over.  A thick fog began to rise and if it weren't for the Jet's infrared viewscope, they would be blind. 

Scott brought the craft down and it lurched as it touched ground.

Xavier School for the Gifted

It was getting late and Rogue noticed from her window that Gambit had gone back outside for another cigarette.

_All right Marie, just go out there an' talk to him._

She was wearing sweat pants and a hoody and grabbed a jacket before making sure that Siren and Jubilee were still asleep, before ducking out into the hall.  She looked around quickly and dashed downstairs, making her way to the back door.

Marie took a deep breath and opened the door, disappearing out onto the mansion's grounds.  She pulled the hood up on her sweatshirt and straightened her gloves then spotted Remy, perched on the perimeter fence.

Slowly she stalked over and he turned his head slightly and smiled.  "Ah been wonderin' when you might be stoppin' by, cher."  His voice was deep and thick with a southern French accent; and something about him made her relax when she was around him.  Casually he turned and reached his hand down to help her up.  "Allow me."

She took his hand and climbed up with him and sat.

He offered his pack to her.  "You smoke?"

She shook her head.

"Prob'ly better you don'.  Filty 'abbit.  Is it true what dey say about you?  That you can' touch nobody?"

Rogue lowered her head.  "Not unless they wanna be in a coma."

Remy smiled.  "Least dey'd be good dreams, no?"

Marie smiled and looked back up to him and stared into his dark eyes.  She didn't even notice the group of thugs that stealthily snuck over to them.

Something pulled on her legs forcefully and she fell from the perimeter wall, closely followed by Remy.  They landed hard and she looked up, seeing the small group of attackers.  Remy fought back and pushed a couple of them away and moved to try and help Marie but one of the attackers stuck something into his neck and he suddenly went limp.

Marie tried to yell out, but before the words could even be formed she felt a prick in the side of her neck and everything started to go dark.

Elsewhere

Marie came to and noticed that she was lying on a gurney, staring up at a bright light hanging from the ceiling.  At first she thought she was in the mansion's infirmary but as she looked around she began to doubt.

Everything was dirty and old, save for a bank of monitors to her left.  She saw strange instruments and devices that seemed more alive than mechanical.  

She tried to speak, to call out for help, but realized that she couldn't.  She felt something around her throat.  She tried to reach up for it, to claw it away, but her arms and legs had been strapped down.

Suddenly she heard a door open behind her, followed by footsteps.  A man came into view with chalky white skin and black eyes and lips and he smiled at her vain attempt to scream.  His long, stringy hair had been cut short and he ran a gloved hand over it, the red diamond in his forehead gleaming ominously.  "Like what I've done with it?  Oh that's right.  You never saw it when it was long."  He chuckled.  "Allow me to introduce myself.  I'm Mr. Sinister, and it is _you_ who will be at _my_ service."

_-Well here's another fun filled (and mutant filled) chapter.  Thanks for the reviews, and don't worry…. There will be NO WOLVERINE/ROGUE pairing.  I already have a great idea and I won't spoil it._

_Other than that… keep reading!_

_-Ryko_


	7. Lightning

**Chapter 6: Lightning**

Xavier School for the Gifted

Scott and Ororo stalked quickly down the gleaming, metal corridors of the mansion's subbasement after hearing about Rogue's disappearance.  They marched onward, their boots falling heavily on the deck plating below them and soon they found themselves in medlab.

Doctor Henry McCoy was doing a final checkup of Gambit, his blue, furry fingers holding a long silvery object.  "I'm pleased to say that there doesn't appear to be any damage from the toxin they used on you."

Professor X greeted the newcomers with a sympathetic nod.  "Gambit will be fine.  Rogue is our priority right now, but first we need to attend to our _new_ guest."

The group's combined attention turned to the stranger sitting on the edge of an examination table, his once long, white hair now cropped short.  Wolverine paced vigorously behind him, his eyes locked menacingly on him.

The stranger wore a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt, his metal arm gleaming in the bright lights above.  Scott approached him cautiously.  "Who are you?  Where's Jean?"

The stranger shook his head.  "I don't know who you're talking about, so back off."

Logan snarled faintly from behind him.  "He says his name's Nathan and that he came here to stop the world from ending."

Nathan shook his head again and started to rub his temples.  "I came here to stop Apocalypse."

Storm stared intently and looked to the Professor for reassurance.  He nodded slightly and turned to their guest.  "Just where _did_ you come from?"

The stranger chuckled and met Xavier's steady gaze.  "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

Elsewhere

The room was dark but Sinister could still make out the massive form of Apocalypse, seated on a thrown of strange metal.  His eyes glowed deep red and the faint light that was in the room, reflected off the silver of his bulky frame.  "What have you brought me today?"

Sinister smiled and stepped forward, inching his way closer.  "My lord, I've merely come to announce that I have completed my work.  Your 'fourth' is now ready to serve!  All that is needed is for you, my supreme one, is to regain your strength fully!"

The demigod smiled and nodded.  "You have done well.  So how is my new mutant?"

Sinister smiled.  "Remarkable!  It was utterly amazing what I was able to do, with the help of her ability!"

The dark scientist cleared his throat.  "Your horsemen are ready.  We await your command."

Apocalypse stood, towering a meter over Sinister's head.  "Go out then!  Burn the flatscans from the face of the earth!"

Xavier School for the Gifted

Charles sat linked to the supercomputer Cerebro and suddenly he snapped from the psychic daze.  He immediately turned and left the spherical room behind and made his way to the war room where the group assembled in uniform.  Quickly he looked over the team, from Scott to Storm, from Wolverine to Iceman.  His gaze drifted over to Gambit and finally to 'Cable', the mysterious stranger.

"I've located Rogue.  We must hurry."

-Well here's another fun filled chapter for ya'all!  Hope you're enjoying this as much as I am!  Something big is coming, so keep reading!

-Ryko


	8. Squall

Chapter 7: Squall 

New York City

The ragtag mutant group known as the X-Men - descended the boarding ramp of the sleek Jet in the middle of a clearing.  Cyclops silently ordered the team to split and Storm and Wolverine led Gambit off into the fog that the weather-witch had spun.

Scott turned briefly to Cable, dressed in a similar uniform, though the sleeves had been torn off; then to Iceman and nodded.  "It's up to us to find her.  Just be careful… try not to make too big of a scene."  He looked back to the stranger and watched him as he checked the firearms he had brought with him.  "We don't want anyone getting hurt if they don't need to be."

Cable nodded and followed as the two others led him into the city.

Downtown

The dark shape pierced the night, the screech of the wind heard for miles in any direction.  With the slightest adjustment the form hurtled downward and suddenly, to the onlookers below, the angel of death appeared.

With a wicked grin the metal-winged demon flexed and razor sharp feather sprang from the wingtips, striking some of the bystanders and causing a panic.  Within seconds the street was alive with screams and the angel merely cackled in delight.

The crowd scattered and soon another form emerged from the darkness of an alley.  She was grotesquely thin and her shroud clung to her corpse-like body.  She reached a hand out and suddenly a passerby collapsed.  The man's body began to shrivel and soon the mutant's body regained fullness.  "Wallow in your famine, flatscan!"

Sinister watched from the shadows, marveling at the pestilence he had helped unleash on the 'normals' and looked to the sky.  He spotted the dark shape and smiled.  "Ah, there you are.  Let War be unleashed!"

The crimson blast came from nowhere, striking 'Famine' in the chest and sending her hurtling backwards.  Sinister's gaze shifted and he spotted the newcomer, recognizing him instantly.  "My dear Scott…" 

There was a flash of movement as the angel of death took off again and spun in midair, turning to fire another barrage of metal feathers at the interlopers.  The projectiles froze almost instantly, the spreading ice keeping Death from remaining in the air until finally he began to plummet.

Something slowed his descent and allowed him to safely touch ground, while the ice continued to envelop him.

Cable slumped backwards against a wall, the strain on his telepathic powers almost knocking him into unconsciousness.

Sinister scowled.  "So Scott… you brought friends to play!"

Wind suddenly kicked up, followed by a light rain that seemed to grow in intensity.  Storm floated softly to the ground and turned to Gambit.  "Get the people out of here!"

Gambit sighed.  "You take all d'fun, no?"

Storm merely glared with frosted eyes and the Cajun nodded, turning and dashing toward the scrambling crowd.

Wolverine stopped dead in his jog.  "There's someone else."

Sinister watched with anticipation, then looked up and smiled.  "Right on time."

Something barreled into Wolverine, sending him careening into a nearby building and knocking a few of the bricks free.  With a groan he collapsed and the fighting stopped.

Scott looked up and his mouth hung wide.  "Oh god.  It's rogue."

Marie stood in the middle of the street, dressed in a tight, form-fitting uniform and turned to see Iceman approaching from her flank.  He reached his hands out and the air around him began to solidify and he fired the frozen blast, hoping to catch her but missed.

Rogue had _seen_ it coming and suddenly disappeared upward, stopping thirty feet from the ground where she hung.  "Now, now… that ain't playin' nice!"

She quickly streaked downward toward Bobby; her fist brought back for a lethal punch and was stopped, mere inches from his face.  She struggled against the power that subdued her and screamed in protest.

The X-men stared in awe and Cable emerged.  "She isn't goin' anywhere."

Gambit followed close behind him and could only watch, his mouth agape.

Wolverine turned his attention once more to the shadowy form that tried to slink away and pointed, his claws outstretched.  "There!"

Cyclops acted instantly and fired a blast, striking the fleeing man in the side but he kept his pace and disappeared around a bend.

Wolverine growled, taking off into a sprint.  "Dammit, are you blind with only one eye?"  He yelled back.

He followed the trail and rounded the same bend and froze.  It was a dead end and his quarry was gone.  What was worse is that he smelt the same thing he had when he got back to the mansion.

_This punk had cased the place_

-Hoohaw!  That was fun to write!  My first action sequence in this fic!  Don't worry, there's much more to come and I'll try not to disappoint.  Just a side note, thanks again for the kind words.

-Ryko


	9. The Calm Before the Storm

Chapter 8: The Calm Before the Storm 

Xavier School for the Gifted

Dr McCoy looked over his subject with a scrutinizing eye and finally sighed, shaking his head.  "I'm sorry professor, whatever happened to her cannot be undone.  Her invulnerability makes it exceedingly difficult to run the most basic of tests."  The Beast paused in his monologue.  "I can counteract the drugs that were used to bend her will, but there's no telling what kind of damage had been caused by fusing her with new abilities and – most likely; memories."

Charles looked over to Rogue, unconscious on the examination table.  _My dear child, I pray that you have the inner strength. _

Seeming to have heard him, Marie nodded in her slumber and smiled lightly as Charles turned to leave.  "Henry, do what you can.  No one expects anything more."

The doctor nodded and Charles left, the heavy doors sliding shut behind him.

Remy sat alone in the garden, a lit cigarette in one hand.  Slowly he turned his head and spotted Bobby stalking towards him.  He nodded sullenly and the Iceman sneered.

"'Ave a seat, mon ami."

Bobby shook his head and crossed his arms, stopping just to Remy's left.  "How can you be so 'chummy chummy'?  If it wasn't for you…"

Remy cut him off, jumping to his feet.  "Now Gambit did no such ting.  Where were _you_, eh mon ami?"

Bobby shook his head and struck out, his fist connecting with the cajun's jaw and knocking him back.  "You just stay away from her!  You hear?  _Mon ami_?"

Gambit snickered.  "You be da jealous type eh?"  But his verbal retaliation hit nothing but Iceman's back as he walked away.  With his hand, Remy wiped the blood away from the corner of his mouth and spat.

Cable wandered down the gleaming corridors of the inner mansion and strode into medlab.  The look on his face was stern and he took a seat, cradling his metal arm.

Hank looked him over.  "Please… have a seat."

The stranger flinched and looked to the blue-furred doctor.  "I need your help.  I'll tell you about my condition… hopefully you can do something."

Hank nodded slowly, taking a seat across from the newcomer as he began to explain.

Elsewhere

Sinister clutched his side as he emerged from the darkness and into his secret lab, having narrowly escaped with the aid of the Tesseract.  It bent space and allowed multiple points on the planet to seemingly connect to the others and at this moment he was grateful.

He looked down to his side and watched as his abdomen slowly reformed, rebuilding the missing section of his mid-rift.  "That was a close one my young mister Summers."

He looked around himself and smiled, his gaze falling over the seemingly endless maze of cables and unnamable technology, until finally stopping on his pride and joy.

Encased in a large, translucent cylinder was a slender woman with shoulder length, red hair.  "Soon my dear… soon."

Xavier School for the Gifted

Hank paced in Charles' office trying to put the thoughts together in a sentence.  "I don't know how it could possible, but our guest is their son.  He shares all of the trait genetic patterns of both Scott _and_ Jean."

Charles smiled.  "Then she _is_ alive."

McCoy nodded.  "She would have to be."

The Professor's face suddenly hardened.  "Don't mention this to anyone.  It could do a lot more harm than good."

Henry nodded.  "I don't suspect he knows, considering he claims to be from a lot farther in our future."

Xavier's eyes narrowed.  "Did he happen to say from when?"

Henry scowled.  "He suggested it was well over one thousand years from now and judging by that arm of his, it would have to be true."

Marie opened her eyes suddenly and looked over, seeing Bobby standing in medlab beside her.  

He shuffled nervously, but smiled.  "Marie… I'm glad you're alright."

She shook her head slowly, rolling across the small pillow.  "Ah'm not alright.  Ah'll never be – _alright_."

Bobby's smile faded slowly.  "Marie…"

She shook her head again.  "She's dead.  Marie ain't comin' back."  Tears started to well in her eyes.  "Just leave will ya?"

Bobby slowly backed away, feeling the pain like a knife in his heart and turned for the door.  For a moment he paused; but thought better of it and just left, Rogue's sobbing echoing behind him.

-Well here you are.  Just thought I'd mention… Pestilence did actually appear, though I tried to be a little subversive about it.  Sinister was actually the fourth and I'm sorry if it wasn't more obvious.  Anywho, he'll have hell to pay with Apocalypse anyway lol.


	10. Heavy Wind

Chapter 9: Heavy Wind 

Elsewhere

Apocalypse frowned at the sudden entry of Sinister, into his thrown room.  He turned to him and reached out, his arm warping and changing into a claw-like vice that clamped down around the pale mutant.  "In my world, there can only be the strong.  You have failed me!"

Sinister struggled against the power that crushed him and finally managed to reply between gasps.  "It… was… the X-Men…"

Suddenly the clamp released and retracted, reforming into Apocalypse's right arm.  "Soon I shall be at full strength and I shall crush all those who oppose me."  He took two steps closer to Sinister and paused.  "Your 'four horsemen' were a failure!  You are a pestilence to all those around you.  Be weary, for once I finish with the X-Men, I shall seek _you_ out and destroy you!"

Sweat beaded on the scientist's forehead and he began to back away.  "My lord… why?"

Apocalypse bellowed, his laughter booming through the corridors of the orphanage.  "The weak must perish."

Sinister backed his way into a shadow and activated the tesseract.  He took one step backwards and in the blink of an eye, disappeared.  When he emerged he was back in his secret laboratory and he moved to a raised seat, surrounded by computer monitors and slumped down.

He flipped a switch and the main screen came to life, showing the red-haired woman, floating in a cylinder of fluid.  _My dear, soon you will be able to walk amongst us._

The room shook violently and a flash of orange light penetrated Sinister's sanctum.  He jumped up and followed the fiery mass as it flew, leading him to his pride and joy.  Suddenly the fire took the shape of a small bird and passed through the glass, entering the woman inside.

Sinister rushed up to the glass, his hands pushed up against it.  "No!"

Suddebly the woman's eyes opened and for a brief instant, they glowed with the same otherworldly fire.

Xavier School for the Gifted

Professor X sat in his study, his hands lightly clasped together.  Across from him sat Cable, still wearing the X-Men uniform.  Next to the strange traveler from the future was Beast.  

Charles nodded to Hank and the blue-furred scientist stood.  "With the Professor's help we have tracked a strange source of immense power.  We are having difficulty identifying it, but we do know it is the same power that had manifested in Jean Grey… before she, well… disappeared."

Cable shook his head.  "What does it have to with me?"

Charles tilted his head to the papers on his desk and looked back up to Nathan.  "Well, first of all, it seems that a fragment of this 'power' splintered off from the greater.  With Cerebro's help, I've found another mutant.  It appears to be Jean."

"You haven't answered my question."

Professor X nodded.  "I also felt the same thing within you… though to a lesser degree.  Is there anything that you might be able to tell us?"

Cable thought for a moment, his bionic eye flashing brightly.  "Historical records don't exist in my time_… didn't_ exist.  Apocalypse banned them.  There was something in the past he didn't want others to find out."

Charles nodded again, following along.  "Something that could be used to defeat him."

Rogue sat alone, staring at a group of fellow mutants playing basketball, Gambit among them.  She watched him as he played, wearing shorts and a t-shirt.  He paused momentarily and took the shirt off, using it to wipe his forehead, before finally tossing it aside.

Rogue sighed.  She watched his slim, but muscular chest as he played, scoring against the other students.

Seemingly knowing that she was watching he looked up and winked, his black and red eyes twinkling.

She smiled back lightly then spotted Bobby walking towards her from across the garden and her smile faded.

He sat next to her on the bench and tried to meet he lost gaze but gave up.  "Hi."

She looked over at him and smiled distantly.  "Hi."

He was uncomfortable and angry that she didn't give him the emotion he wanted.  "Is everything… are you… will you be alright?"

Rogue shook her head.  "Geezuz Bobby!  Will ya jus' give it a rest?  Ah told ya to jus' leave me alone."

Iceman's face stiffened and stared straight ahead, forcing the tears back.  "I just want to help.  I want you to know you're not alone… I'm there for you."

"Yer right, Bobby… Ah'm not alone.  Ah've got at least three people livin' in mah head now and Ah hear them all the time."

The Iceman nodded and stood, turning back but thinking better of it and just walking away.  Tears welled in his eyes, but he forced himself to keep walking and soon he was back inside, making his way to his room.

-Well all here's another.  Hope ya'all enjoy it!!  Oh yeah!  Thanks for the awesome reviews!  

BTW Is there anyone who has ideas about characters to introduce, or villains that they want in my sequel?

-Ryko


	11. Shifting Sands part 1

Chapter 10: shifting Sands part 1 

Xavier School for the Gifted

Rogue and the Professor sat alone in his darkened study, facing each other.  "Now Rogue, do you remember anything about where you were taken?"

The young woman nodded slightly, her eyes closed.  "I remember bein' in a horrible room.  Ah remember screamin'… wait.  Ah couldn' scream.  It was one of the _others_."

Xavier nodded.  "Who are the others?"

Rogue strained against her memories.  "Ah don' know.  It's a jumble.  Ah can' tell which memories are theirs."

Charles gently put his hand on Rogue's knee.  "Just relax.  Can you remember anything that might tell us where you were?"

Images flashed in her mind and suddenly she saw the building from outside, as if she was standing at the gates.  "One of the others had volunteered… he saw it.  Ah was at the 'Prescott Orphanage'."

Charles slumped back when Rogue finished.  "Very good.  Now go get some rest."

Rogue opened her eyes and stood, turning back to the Professor.  "I wanna go with ya'all when you leave."

Xavier shook his head.  "It's much too dangerous.  I would like you to remain behind."

She shook her head and left the room without a word.

Elsewhere

Sinister marveled at his creation as she slowly strode around him, looking over all of the equipment.  She wore only a black silk robe and it loosely flowed around her as she moved. 

Her surroundings were new to her, but somehow there were things that she already knew.  She thought it best to hide her memories from the man beside her.  "Where am I father?"

The scientist smiled.  "You are home, my dear."

She smiled, though something inside told her that her home was somewhere else. 

She glanced over the computer banks and thought for a moment, finally getting frustrated.  "Who am I?"

Sinister stepped closer and took her hand in his.  He looked deep into her eyes and stroked her fire-red hair with his free hand.  "You are Madeline.  Madeline Pryor."

In the back of her mind a voice cried out.  The name bounced inside her skull until finally she beat it back.  _I am not Jean Grey.  I am Madeline._

Prescott Orphanage

The X-Jet had landed a short distance away and the group now made their way to the main gates.  Scott slowed to a stop when he saw the building, the place he had grown up in.  It was a shadow of its former magnificence after decades of neglect.  "I don't get it.  What happened to Walter Prescott?"

Wolverine walked up beside him and sniffed the air.  "He never existed.  It was always that shady freak that you blasted back in the city."

Scott turned to Kurt and Storm.  "Try to find any survivors and get them out of there."  He turned back to Cable and Wolverine and nodded.  "Let's go."

Kurt had already teleported Ororo and himself through the locked iron gates and Wolverine stepped up, popping his claws.  With one swipe the lock was shredded and the heavy barrier was free to be moved.

Cable stopped before stepping onto the grounds, a flash of telepathy hitting his mind like a hammer.  "Apocalypse is here."

Scott gave him a brief glance.  "Can you stop him?"

Nathan shook his head.  "He was too powerful in my time.  His armies were too vast.  I don't know."

Cable checked the weapons he had with him.  Forge and Beast had helped him to build them, based on his own knowledge of energy weapons.  

Wolverine snickered.  "I hope your phaserguns are gonna work, bub!"

Nathan smiled, checking the energy levels.  "They'll do their job."

The small group entered the building, and started to look around.

Xavier School for the Gifted

Gambit took the final puff of his cigarette and stared at the butt, held between his fingers.  A slight grin touched his face and a sudden flash of energy seemed to pass into the filter.  With a flick the butt flew out onto the long driveway and in a flash on impact it exploded.

"That's a nice trick."

Gambit turned and smiled to Rogue, dressed in the black leather X-Men uniform.  "Why you be all done up, cher?"

Rogue smiled and stroked his arm with a gloved hand.  "C'mon sugah… let's get ya ready for the party."

He turned and let her lead him back to the mansion, watching her hips sway as she walked.  "Does Bobby know dat you are out here wit' _me?_"

She shook her head and smiled back to him, turning slightly to face him.  "Now what does it mattah?"

Gambit nodded.  "All right.  But does Professor X know dat you be plannin' a trip?"

Suddenly her smile disappeared.  "Xavier wasn' the one who got rewired!  Ah was!  Now… will ya help me?"

The Cajun nodded and grinned mischievously.  "Sure ting cher.  Gambit help."

-Well here ya go!  Pardon if I'm not updating as fast as I would like, but I have the flu right now!!!  Anywho, keep checking for updates!

-Ryko


	12. Shifting Sands part 2

Chapter 11: Shifting Sands part 2 

Prescott Orphanage

Nightcrawler stalked stealthily through the darkened halls, trying to find the source of the strange tapping that he had heard only moments before.

_It was a strange sound_, he thought, _as if something was being thrown and ricocheted off of a nearby wall._

He rounded a corner and by sheer instinct teleported, allowing the spinning metal star to pass through the space harmlessly.  The form that occupied the room laughed, his body stopping its almost perpetual spin.  "Come back little elf!  Riptide ain't gonna hurt ya!"

The mutant's body began to spin again and more of the metal blades began to fire from his body, imbedding themselves into every possible surface.

Kurt appeared suddenly with a double-footed kick to Riptide's head, sending the bladed hurricane falling backwards; and disappeared a moment later, avoiding more of the deadly projectiles.

The blue-skinned mutant's voice echoed around the corridor.  "Mein Gott! Sie schlugen mich fast!  Any closer and I'd be vorried!"

Riptide screamed in anger and streaked to where he thought the voice had taunted him from, earning himself another kick to the back of the head.

Storm walked cautiously through the hallway and peered into one of the adjoining rooms, her eyes shifting nervously around.  "Hello?"

She saw the spear before it hit, but she couldn't move to avoid it and she felt the pain as something struck her in the leg.  She looked down, expecting to see the javelin, but there was nothing… only the nagging pain.  She hobbled back down the corridor and suddenly something barreled into her – a mass of blonde hair and teeth and fangs. 

She recognized the mutant, in spite of his short hair.  It was Sabertooth.  

He smiled wickedly as he held her.  "Harpoon does a good job with ambushes, doesn't he?  Got ya square with one of those psychic spears.  Just try to zap me now!  You still owe me a scream!"

There was a strange series of _bamffs_, echoing down the hall and Sabertooth turned his head and forced his eyes to adjust to the darkness.  Suddenly something metal planted itself in the wall next to his hand and he roared in anger.

Harpoon ducked out of the room and charged one of his weapons, waiting for the impending threat, suddenly realizing _what_ had struck the wall.  "Dammit that Riptide is gonna… "

His sentence was cut off as a series of silvery blades collided with him and sent him spiraling backwards.  

Sabertooth turned back to Storm for an instant and Nightcrawler appeared briefly, taking her arm.  "Come for a ride."  With that, the two of them disappeared and Sabertooth was left to Riptide's barrage.

Cable entered the room first, followed by Cyclops and Wolverine.  Inside it was dark, but Nathan could make out the strange throne before them without any illumination.  "Stab his eyes!  He's gone!"

Scott turned to Logan.  "Well?"

Wolverine snickered.  "Well what, one-eye?"  He shrugged and took a step further into the room.  "He ain't here.  Not for a while."

Out of the darkness there was a sudden flash and Wolverine spun, his sense of smell ringing like a gong.  "Jean!"

A woman emerged, dressed in a black satin robe, her red hair hanging just above the shoulders.  She smiled.

Scott stood with his mouth hung wide and stepped closer, his hands slowly rising to meet her.  "Are you alright?  I thought I'd lost you!"

Slowly she backed away until he stopped his approach.  "I'm not her."

Wolverine took a step closer, his claws retracting.  "You smell like her."

She snickered.  "What are you… the tracking dog?"  Suddenly her attention went to Cable and with a thought, a bolt of psychic energy struck him, sending him back.

Scott interjected.  "Jean!  What are you doing?"

Anger flared up in her and suddenly her eyes shone brightly in the dim room.  

Cable groaned from his place against the wall.  "It's not Jean Grey."

The motorcycle streaked along the tree-lined street as Gambit followed the figure above him.  He marveled at how she could do it – fly as if it were completely natural.  In a matter of time they rounded onto the final stretch and Rogue lowered herself to the ground as Gambit slowed the bike.

The gates hung open and Remy dismounted, his long dark coat trailing behind him.  "So dis is where dey be at, eh?"

Rogue nodded and stepped through, followed a moment later by the Cajun who dashed passed her to the front doors.  They were locked.

Calmly he reached into the black leather trench coat and pulled out a playing card, charging it with kinetic energy.  Carefully he slipped it into the door jam and backed off.

The explosion was minute, but the lock had been destroyed, allowing them to enter.  Gambit turned to Rogue.  "If da rest be here… why dey lock da door?"

Rogue shrugged.  "It ain't locked now, sugah."  She pushed passed him into the main hall and looked around.  The memories strained to tell her where to go, but in the end she sighed.  _Some help you were._

Gambit slowly stroked her arm with his gloved hand.  "Don' worry cher.  We find dat rat… together."

Rogue nodded and the two of them marched down one of the darkened corridors.

Scott couldn't speak.  Finally after a deep breath he forced the words from his throat.  "Who… who are you and what happened to her?"

The woman turned back to him, the fire in her eyes having dissipated.  "I'm sorry… I'm Madeline.  Madeline Pryor."  She slowly approached Scott and stopped just in front of him.  "My father created me… but I remember!  I remember you!  Oh Scott, I missed you!"

Cyclops struggled with the mix of emotions he felt, but buckled against their weight and took the woman in his arms.  "I thought I'd lost you."

Madeline smiled.  "You couldn't lose me.  I'd always find you."

Logan snickered and wandered off into the darkened hallway.  Cable called after him.  "Wait!"

He struggled to his feet and left the room, suddenly dropping to the ground in pain.  Logan spun and stared.

The metal of Cable's arm began to spread, thin, silver streams invading the left side of his face.

Wolverine knelt beside him.  "What's happenin'?"

Nathan pushed the words free.  "Techno… organic… virus."

With a moment of concentration he was able to force the metal back with his telepathy, returning it to where it had been previously contained.  "Apocalypse had me infected as a child… "

-Well here ya go!  I got some great things coming up so keep checking for updates!!

-Ryko


	13. Full Moon

Chapter 12: Full Moon 

Prescott Orphanage

Rogue brushed a strand of white hair from her eyes and huffed, tightening her ponytail.  She looked around and pointed to one of the many doors.  "Let's check this one out, shall we?"

Gambit nodded with a sly grin as Rogue punched the door, sending it flying across the room inside.  Remy chuckled.  "Ain't nobody home, cher."

Rogue flashed a quick smile.  "Not yet, anyways."

Logan snarled, catching a scent in the halls.  Feverishly he surveyed the immediate area and his claws sprang from their hidden sanctuary in his forearms. 

Cable gave Wolverine a moment before finally speaking.  "What is it?"

Before the other could answer, a form came barreling out of the stairwell, crashing into the clawed mutant in a fury of anger and knocking Nathan backwards.

The attacker was dressed in jeans and a leather jacket, the lapels lined with wolf fur, but the trait that Cable noticed foremost; were his long, silver fingernails.

Wolverine hissed, pushing the aggressor off of him.  "Sabertooth. "

Blood streaked his leather jacket and his hair and he smiled, showing off his claws.  "You ain't the only one with metal bones, little man!"

Logan snarled and lunged at Sabertooth, attempting to punch his own claws in deep, but to no avail.  The larger laughed.  "Aw. C'mon, that all you got?"

With a swipe he sent Logan spiraling back against the wall.

Cable leveled one of the weapons he had and aimed, pulling the trigger a moment later and sending a bolt of white energy hurtling toward the lion-like Sabertooth. 

It struck him in the chest and he flew back, sliding across the dingy, tiled floor and finally coming to a stop, motionless.

Nathan helped Wolverine to his feet.  "We should regroup with the others.  This place has too many surprises."

Logan nodded and rubbed his head, the thick claw marks on his face closing up with the aid of his healing factor.  "Good idea."

Kurt teleported along through the corridors with Storm clutching him tightly, putting as much of her weight onto him to ease the pain she felt in he leg.  Nightcrawler looked over to her briefly and smiled as they teleported again.

They reappeared once more and came face to face with Cyclops as he rounded a corner.  Ororo stared in shock as a woman followed behind him.  "Jean?"

Scott shook his head and Nightcrawler ran a hand though his blue hair in confusion.  Cyclops motioned behind him.  "It's a long story.  For now we have to find the others and get out of here."

Storm nodded and Scott looped her arm around the back of his neck, helping Kurt.  Storm groaned at a jab of pain.  "So if she's not. "  Cyclops interjected.  "Her name's Madeline."

Just then the redhead perked up and pointed.  "There are others here too. More of your friends?"

Gambit slumped against the wall and slowly lowered himself into a crouch, shuffling a deck of cards.  "Der's nobody here, cher.  Dey all split."

Rogue looked around briefly and spun back to face him, a stern, but frustrated look on her face.  "Yer prob'ly right."

It wasn't a moment later that the two mutants heard a series of _pings_ from around a dark corner.  They looked over in unison and suddenly the hallway came alive with small, spinning metal blades.

Gambit jumped to his feet, ducking and weaving as more of the throwing stars were fired in their direction and narrowly he avoided each deadly projectile.

Rogue merely stood, staring at the whirling mass that followed them, her body shuddering from the multitude of impacts.  Her black, leather suit ripped and tore, but the blades ricocheted when they hit her skin.  "Get b'hind me Remy!"

The Cajun smiled.  "I got a plan, cher.  Just be sure to make us an exit!"  The deck of cards in his hand began to glow with kinetic energy and Gambit tossed the whole deck over Rogue's head.  The cards spread all around and the force of Riptide's spin began to act like a vacuum.  The cards zipped around him and the realization hit him.

Rogue turned quickly and grabbed Remy then took to flight, going as fast as she could.  Suddenly a multitude of explosions ripped through the hallway behind them, blowing out the windows and sending dust and debris all around.

Cable and Logan looked to each other and looked up in the general direction of the chaotic series of explosions and broke out into a run.  They dashed up the nearest flight of stairs to the next floor and stepped out into what was left of the hallway.

Wolverine sniffed at the smoke filled air and pointed.  "That way."

Cable looked around.  The ceiling had been gutted out by the detonations, showing through to the floor above.  Cable's gaze trailed down to a pile of rubble at the end of the hall and he noticed the movement.

Rogue pushed against the weight on her back and stood, sending the debris crashing to the floor behind her in clouds of rising dust.  Gambit groaned and stood, having been crouched beneath her and the two smiled.

Wolverine called down the hall.  "Rogue!"

She spun and smiled when she saw him, but her smile soon faded when she caught the look on his face.

Anger welled up inside him that the two mutants had disobeyed their orders to stay behind.  "You could have been killed. "  He looked over to Gambit.  "You too."

Rogue shook her head in defiance.  "Ah'm fine.  We can handle this!"

Cable cut in.  "I may not have been around as long as you guys, but I know when it's time to leave."

Wolverine turned and flashed a quick look, one that could stop a charging rhino.  He was about to speak when he paused.  The floor started to creak beneath them.  "We'll finish this later."

Quickly the group made there way to the stairwell at the opposite end, the floor threatening to give way.  Cable strained his telekinetic powers.  "I can hold it for a bit. But we gotta move a _little_ faster."

-Thanks all for the kind reviews!  Hopefully all the peeps who read this and - don't review - are liking it as well!  Review more! I got more coming so keep checking in!

-Ryko


	14. Parting Clouds

Chapter 13: Parting Clouds 

Xavier School for the Gifted

The heavily modified Blackbird landed in its secret hanger hidden beneath the basketball court and the engines began to wind down.  It had been an ordeal to escape the old orphanage, narrowly avoiding being caught in the imminent collapse.

Save for finding the redheaded woman that now descended the boarding ramp, the mission had been a failure.  Madeline Pryor looked around with the sense that she had been there before.  Scott followed closely behind, a faint smile touching his face for the first time in a long while.

Everyone disembarked and slowly the group trudged to the War Room, taking seats around the large circular table.  Professor X had been waiting only for a few minutes and he looked to Jean Grey's mirror image with a combination of happiness. and fear.

Xavier scanned the rest of the group and paused, falling across Gambit and Rogue.  _You were ordered to remain behind._

Rogue shifted in her seat and met the Professor's worried gaze.  _Ah'm fine.  Finally Ah feel like Ah can be a part of the team, without worryin' 'bout bein' a liability._

Xavier nodded slowly.  "Maybe so, but from now on you must set an example for the younger ones who might one day be our inheritors."

Both Gambit and Rogue nodded their compliance and the Professor turned back to the rest, to Scott and then to Madeline.  "I can see that yet, while some things have gone unresolved, we find ourselves with a new mystery." 

The woman ran a hand through her hair and looked up to the bald man.  "Some of those mysteries I can help to solve."  Xavier smiled.

"I know."

The Airport

The main terminal was alive with movement as hundreds of people went on their way, securing tickets, checking their luggage or even relaxing in the lounge.

Two men made their way through the crowds, the younger leading the other and carrying nothing more than an overnight bag.  He was tall and thin, with dark hair and glasses and he turned to the man he escorted.  "I can't be away from the museum for more than a few days at a time. "

The other man smiled beneath his graying mustache.  "Do not worry.  You shall only be in Egypt for a short while.  As I said, it is long enough for me to recover my _assets_. then you can be rewarded for bringing me with you."

The younger man nodded and continued along to the counter, turning in the tickets he held.  The darker-skinned woman at the desk smiled.  "So what takes you to Cairo?"

His pride built up inside and the younger man smiled.  "Well, we - my colleague and I - are Egyptologists.  Have _you_ ever seen the Valley of the Kings?"

The woman shook her head.

"Well you really should.  They're quite marvelous!"

The man behind him shuffled.  "Come now Doctor.  We are pressed for time."

Xavier School for the Gifted

Most of the group had been excused from the debriefing, though Madeline and Cable had been asked to stay behind.  Henry entered a few moments later and took a seat next to Charles, staring at the spitting image of the X-Men's former teammate.  "My word, so it _is_ true."

Madeline nodded uncomfortably.  

Professor X motioned to his blue friend beside him, his eyes never breaking contact with Miss Pryor.  "Henry here is our resident Medical Scientist and I asked him to join our discussion.  If that is alright with you?"

The woman nodded.  "As I was saying earlier, my father created me.  He wanted me to be perfect."

Dr. McCoy leaned forward.  "_You_ are a clone?  How fascinating.  Who was your creator?"

Xavier put his hand out, bringing everyone's attention back to him.  "A brilliant geneticist by the name of Nathaniel Essex.  Though with the information we have managed to gather, it also appears he is - or was - Walter Prescott."

Beast turned back to Madeline.  "How is it you are so self aware?"

She smiled.  "After I was born, father insisted I learn.  It wasn't hard to break his encryptions.  I learned a lot about him and what he was doing.  That's when I snuck away."

Professor X thought for a moment, his gaze drifting off.  Suddenly a realization dawned on him and he motioned back to Madeline.  "During the briefing, you said Nathaniel Essex discovered his mutation, back in the 1800's.  His abilities don't include prolonged life."

"Well that's because he made a bargain with the devil, so to speak.  He discovered another mutant, even older than himself and wanted access to the knowledge he could give him.  In his journal, he said that he had found an Egyptian temple and brought a living god back to life."

Cable perked up and spoke, his voice faintly more than a whisper.  "Apocalypse."

Madeline nodded before continuing.  "Apocalypse used his technology to change Essex, even granting him immortality; so that one day he could help initiate the final fight for survival.  The strong over the weak."  Madeline paused.  "Apocalypse was defeated once, by a man who said he had come from the future.  Father's journal said this took place in 1925."  

Cable shook his head.  "If Apocalypse was beaten, how do you explain my world?  How do you explain the fact that Apocalypse rules over a wasteland?"

Madeline stared back at Cable coldly.  "According to the journals, Apocalypse was still alive.  He was imprisoned without a body, but ten years after his defeat, Essex retrieved his essence and housed it in a new body.  Apocalypse has just been recuperating for decades since."

Xavier smiled at the new information.  "Now we know what we're up against, but it still doesn't explain why you were created."

Madeline nodded and took a breath.  "Father - Essex - made me so that Apocalypse could be destroyed."

Cable grunted.  "Yeah.  Right."

"Even with all the power Apocalypse had given him. he was still rejected in the grand scheme.  He knew Apocalypse would never let him live so he made _me_.  What he didn't count on; was that I became more powerful than he thought.  He couldn't control me."

Xavier sensed a growing feeling of need in the woman and he motioned to her.  "Please. go get some rest.  Nathan here will show you back upstairs."

Scott sat in his room and stared at the picture of him and Jean.  Softly he stroked the frame and set it down.

There was a knock at his door.

Scott stood and straightened his ruby-quartz glasses, before making his way over to greet his visitor.  He swung the door open slowly and smiled.  "Uh. Madeline."

She smiled back.  "Please. I feel like I've known you for ages.  It's Maddie."

Scott shuffled and looked away, suddenly snapping out of his thoughts.  "Oh please. uh. Maddie. come in."

The woman strode into the room and sat on the bed, looking over to the nightstand.  She spotted the picture of him and Jean.  "She. uh, I mean I - really _do_ look like her."

Scott nodded.

Maddie patted the bed beside her and he took a seat, struggling to break eye contact.  In a lot of ways she reminded him of her and he found himself staring deeply into her eyes.  The woman leaned in and kissed him lightly, then pulled away.  "I'm sorry.  I shouldn't have."

She stood to leave and Scott stood with her, gently taking her by the arm.  "It's alright. don't go."  Without warning he leaned in and returned the kiss she had given him.  They both gained in their intensity and while still in an embrace, inched closer to Scott's bed.

-Well what can I say. I thought about writing more about Scott, but really I don't generally like him.  If it weren't for the plot, he wouldn't be there at all.  I always thought that Jean should've always gone for Wolvie, but well. Earlier X-Men comics were never perfect. though they had a charm the current comics can't fill.  I don't know, maybe I'm rambling. but I loved it when Gambit loved Rogue, Scott loved Jean and Jean was torn between him and Logan.  I just thought it would be nice to further merge the movieverse with the comicverse.

Anyhow, hope you all are still reading and still enjoying.

-Ryko 


	15. The Setting Sun

**Chapter 14: The Setting Sun**

Egypt

It had been a long flight and the two men had been relieved to finally make it to the hotel.  Dr. Johnston, the younger of the two, smiled as he dropped his carryall on the floor.  "So how long will it be until you can secure my fee?"

The older man laughed, his voice deepening with each breath.  "Ah, doctor… pitiful flatscan… your payment is soon to be delivered!"

Johnston backed away, watching as the older man's frame began to grow, his features seeming to fade and be replaced with something much more menacing.  "Who… what are you?"

The black and silver being that stood before him bellowed.  "I am the end.  I am eternal!  I – am – Apocalypse!"

Scott woke, rubbing his eyes beneath his ruby-quarts glasses.  The sun shone brightly through the window to his room and he smiled.  He looked over to the other side of the bed and felt around the empty space.  _Was it a dream?_

The door to the en suite opened and Madeline casually walked in, a towel draped around her torso.  "Good morning."

Scott instinctively pulled the covers over his lower body and the woman chuckled.  "Oh, don't be so modest."  Slowly she strode over and sat on the bed reaching her hand up to his face.

Scott pulled back.  "Look… I think… uh… last night…"

Maddie hushed him with a finger over her lips.  "Last night was beautiful.  I wanted to tell you…"

Scott stared back in suspense.  "What is it?"

"I'm pregnant."

Bobby sauntered into the kitchen, and poured himself a glass of orange juice from a jug on the counter.  Most of the students were still asleep, summer vacation having finally arrived.

He took a seat on one the bar stools, surrounding the island in the middle and sipped slowly, his mind troubled with the last few days.  Without thinking he watched as the glass in his hand began to frost over and as he went to take a sip, he sighed.  "Damn."

Bobby set the frozen juice aside and looked up as Wolverine marched into the room.  He looked over to the youth obviously mulling something over in his head.  "What's up kid?"

Iceman shook his head, trying to regain his cool composure.  "Nothing… well…"

Logan took a seat, reaching for the glass of orange juice and smiled, holding it up.  "Nothing?"

Bobby sighed.  "It's Marie… er… Rogue.  What do you do when someone you care about pushes you away – and every time you try to get closer, she pushes harder?"

Logan snorted and shook his head.  "Geez kid, if I knew that…" Jean's face suddenly filled his mind.  "Just move on with your life and she'll come around."

Bobby leaned forward.  "You think so?"

Wolverine chuckled.  "Nope.  I _hope_ so."

The Next Day

Madeline Pryor sat on the examining table while Hank processed the results from the tests.  He turned back to her and smiled, looking over the sheet in his hands.  "Well, everything seems to be just fine, though I am amazed at how fast your pregnancy is progressing."

Maddie brushed the hair from her eyes and stroked her growing abdomen softly.  "How long do you think it will be?"

Hank shook his head.  "It could be as soon as a few weeks.  Are you sure you're alright?"

The woman nodded.  "I have a good feeling about this."

Dr. McCoy edged closer, setting a blue, furry hand on the table beside her.  "I must remind you… he _will_ be born a mutant and he will also share that strange spark you have within yourself."

Maddie nodded.  "I know.  I wont let anything happen to her… or him."

Hank smiled.  "Are you curious to know?"

Madeline thought for a moment then nodded, waiting for the doctor to continue.

"Your baby is a _he_."

Old New York City

3335 AD

The smell of charcoal hung heavily in the air as the small, ragtag group made their way for the marker.  They were the mutant resistance, hunted by Apocalypse's forces for the sole crime of being inferior.

The leader of the group squatted down next to a pile of smoking debris and scanned the area in the darkness, his long white hair dangling past his shoulders.  With a sigh he turned back to his comrades.  "Stab his eyes.  I count just under a dozen Acolytes."

His gaze drifted to a woman with dark hair and she smiled, setting a hand on his muscular leg.  "We'll make it, Nate."

He nodded and hefted his weapon, checking the charge in the battery.  With his metal arm he motioned to the group, dividing them in half.  "Aliya, take them and sweep around while I make a break for Graymalkin.  I just hope Professor really _does_ know how to activate it."

Aliya nodded and reached in, wrapping her arms around her husband.  "Travel in peace, my love."

Nate held her tightly and felt her tense as he started to pull his arms away.  "If I didn't have to be the one…"

Aliya hushed him.  "Live your destiny and go.  I love you."

The soldier nodded, kissing her for one last time before giving the group the signal.  At once they all leapt to their feet as he led half the group towards a domed structure not far away.

Almost immediately they were under fire, the rest of Nate's group hanging back.  Tetherblood shouted ahead.  "Cable!  Just go!  We'll hold them off!"

The white-haired soldier nodded and broke out into a sprint, taking the occasional shot at the Acolytes as they divided their fire between the two groups of rebels.  With a few minutes, Cable was inside and he turned quickly and shut the door, the sounds of battle being locked away with it.

Cable made his way to the nearest computer terminal and placed his metallic hand over the reader.  "All right Professor… now or never."

There was a low level hum as the computer bank came to life and a deep voice greeted him.  "I'm in place now and it appears that everything is in working order.  I've managed to route all command functions and am in the process of eliminating the remaining Acolytes inside."

Nathan marched away from the terminal and down the metal corridor, stopping at a junction.  "Which way?"

The illumination dimmed down two parts of the corridor, leaving the remaining hallway lit brightly.  The voice came again, echoing around him.  "Just follow the path."

He jogged lightly, twisting through the maze of identical passages, over the bodies of Apocalypse's soldiers and finally stepped out into a large circular room.  He made his way to a platform to the left and crouched when he was in place.  Professor spoke again.  "A large majority of your memory will be erased when you emerge."

Cable nodded.  "Maybe so, but I'm the only chance this world has."

The platform came to life and Nathan's body was riddled with pain.  The room around him distorted, fading away like a bad dream, replaced instead with concrete and streetlights.

Xavier School for the Gifted

Cable sat on his bed, straining to remember.  He remembered his wife… that they had a son.  He could remember the fall of Ebonshire, where he had lost almost everyone he had ever cared about.

He sighed_.  Why can't I remember why I came back?_

Nate sat up, feeling the pull as someone reached into his mind.  Without thinking his guard went up and the prying telepath was pushed away.

There was a knock at his door.

Cable stood and opened the door, taking a step back.  It was Madeline.

She stood with a hand over her stomach, cradling it as if the unborn child would otherwise fall.  "Do you know that you are even a mystery to Sinister?"

Cable cocked an eyebrow.  "That's what you came to tell me?  Is that why you were trying to poke around in my head?"

Maddie chuckled.  "No.  I did that, because I wanted to know what someone like _you_ was doing with these people in the first place."  She paused, shaking her head.  "You just don't fit."

Nathan shook his head.  "Honestly I don't care what you think."

The woman smiled.  "Alright… but you know that whatever you do, you will ultimately fail right?"

Anger welled inside him and he took a step forward, stopping when he sensed something about his guest.  "Go on…"

"I don't know the whole story, but I do know that what is done is done."  He watched her as she stroked her abdomen and felt the answers swimming in the recesses of his mind and struggling to be heard.  He knew the answers, he just couldn't remember.

"I think you should leave."

Maddie nodded with a faint smile and turned away, disappearing down the hall.

-It's funny… the more I write this, the more possibilities I think of. Just a quick warning… I won't be delving into the whole 'Inferno Wars' thing, but at the same time I'm going to try to keep it to other concepts the X-books have dreamt up. I do plan on continuing with a sequel, depending on the final reviews I get once I'm finally finished this story.

-Oh yeah… if anyone has any characters they want brought in - in the next story – post them with your reviews. I've got a couple ideas, but I want to hear what you think.

-As always… Ryko 


	16. Sidewinder

**Chapter 15: Sidewinder**

Xavier School for the Gifted

Logan knocked gently on the wood paneled bedroom door and paced in the hall, waiting for an answer.  Slowly the door opened and he was greeted by Cyclops on the other side; rough stubble peppering his face.

Wolverine chuckled.  "You look like crap."

The door started to close and with uncanny speed, Logan dashed in and held it ajar.  "Look I didn't come here to fight.  The Professor wanted to know why you missed training this morning."

Scott held himself stiff and cocked an eyebrow.  "So he sent you?"

"I volunteered."

Scott shuffled and scratched his head, turning away slightly.  "Look.  I don't feel like putting up with you right now… why don't you go break something."

Logan looked away then turned back facing Cyclops once more.  "How long are you gonna beat yer'self up about this whole thing?  'Cause I'd much rather do it for you if you'd like, bub."  He took a step closer, his muscles tensing beneath the t-shirt he wore.  "It's yer own fault.  You slept with her.  You knocked her up."

Cyclops pushed the other away, back into the hall, his temper flaring up.  "Shut up!  Just leave me alone before –"

Logan cut him off.  "Before what?  You'll talk me to death?"

Scott's hand slowly rose, reaching for his glasses.  Logan chuckled.  "Your gonna blast me?  In here?"

Cyclops struggled to remain still and his voice came out in a whisper.  "I… I can't stop."

Logan cocked his head and the blast came quickly, lighting the hallway in bright red.  Wolverine took the hit in the chest and was sent back, forced through the wall behind him with a roar of pain and the cacophony of shattering wood.  The beam continued as Scott spun his head, struggling to shut his eyes, but he couldn't.

The alarm sounded in the rest of the mansion, barley audible over the explosions in the levels above.  The students scrambled around, while Storm tried desperately to organize them and get them outside with Bobby and Jubilee's help.

Rogue looked around in disbelief and spotted Remy across the main hall and rushed over to him.  "What's goin' on?"

Gambit shook his head and looked around.  "Don' know, cher.  Maybe we can help, no?"

Rogue nodded and took off to flight, zipping up the stairwell to the next floor.  She followed the sound of destruction and came into the west wing, flying over the debris.  A crimson blast ripped through the wall beside her and she dodged it, making her way through the corridors to Cyclops.

She rounded the corner and spotted him, his arms held out to either side of him while his optic blasts decimated the area around him.  "Scott!"

Suddenly his attention snapped to her and she swerved in midair but took the blast hard.  She felt herself pushed backward and felt the shattering glass as she was flung out into the open.  She tumbled down and struck the hard pavement in a cloud of dust and concrete.

Storm looked around counting heads and making sure that everyone had been evacuated.  Suddenly it dawned on her and she turned, but stopped when she spotted Beast, carrying Xavier from the main entrance.  "Charles!"

Hank bounded along and stopped next to her, laying the Professor on the grass and he rubbed his head.  "I'm alright Ororo.  There are still others inside."

Storm shook her head.  "What happened?"

"It's Scott."

Storm was about to rush back in when Xavier stopped her with a hand on her wrist.  "Don't.  Gambit and Cable are still inside…" He closed his eyes and concentrated.  "And so is Logan."

Cable snuck through the underground complex below the mansion, his telepathic abilities shielding himself from detection.  He had sent out a message to Charles when he realized that something was wrong and now stalked the woman in the subterranean tunnels.

He peeked around a corner and spotted her, a faint fiery glow surrounding her as she made her way to Cerebro, her stomach larger than even a few hours earlier.

Cable acted immediately, stepping out behind her and using his abilities to stop her dead in her tracks.  Madeline shrieked and spun, her eyes flaming with the mysterious power within her.  "What are you doing?!"

Nate snickered.  "What am I doing?"

The woman struggled to fight back in the grip of Cable's TK field around her.  "Release me!"

"Not on your life.  You've got some questions to answer."

Wolverine crawled from beneath the rubble and groaned.  It took him a moment to realize everything had grown quiet and he struggled to get back to his feet.  Instantly he felt the pain in his leg and looked down to see that a long jagged gash marred his thigh.  Blood ran freely from the wound, but in a matter of time, it started to close.

He hobbled along at first and stepped back out into where the hall had once been.  Scott lay on the ground unconscious.

Wolverine twisted his head around and heard as his vertebrae snapped back into place.  "Yer lucky, bub."

-Well here's another chap for ya'all.  More should be up soon.

-Ryko

PS – I still want some ideas for characters to use in my sequel.


	17. Dawn

**Chapter 16: Dawn**

Xavier School for the Gifted

Ororo and the students relocated to a safe house, while the rest of the X-Men stared at the decimated mansion from the front lawn.  Hank was busy with Scott in the infirmary and Professor X soon joined them.

He strolled into the sterile room, once again in his wheelchair.  Beast perked up.  "Ah Professor!  So glad you found your spare."

Xavier nodded with a light smile.  "Thanks Henry.  How is he?"

Beast removed his silver framed glasses and set them aside.  "He'll be just fine with some rest."  Charles nodded again.  "Inform me if his situation changes.  Now please excuse me… I should talk with Madeline Pryor."

With that he turned and wheeled out of the room, turning down in the direction of the brig.  The door slid aside and he entered, Cable straddling a chair with his arms crossed over the backrest.  He looked up to the visitor then back to the woman in the cell, a strange helmet over her head.  "She won't say much."

Charles wheeled closer and peered through the bars.  "Just what were you doing?"

Maddie shook her head beneath the metal dome.  "I have to find him.  I know what to look for!  I can't do it with this helmet on!"

Xavier sighed.  "Why Scott?"

She shook her head and looked back at him strangely through the bars.  "What about him?"

The figure moved silently through the shadows of the now empty corridors of the Xavier mansion, occasionally stopping to peer around a corner.  He parted his black lips in a grin and laughed silently to himself, holding a strange object in his hands.  "It's nice when an invention surpasses one's expectations…"

The tendril-like strips of fabric flowed around him as he stalked through the halls, making his way for the exit.  Slowly he turned back and the faint light caught the red jewel in his forehead, causing it to shimmer wickedly.  "Can't have my dear little one running off before her time now, can we?"

He stepped outside and the flowing fabric wrapped around him and soon his features changed.  Where once had been the evil form of Mr. Sinister, was now replaced with the slightly overweight frame of a construction worker.

Once he rounded the corner, he smiled inwardly, watching as dozens of people helped to rebuild the exterior of the mansion.  No one looked twice at him as he disappeared down the driveway.

Rogue winced as she woke up and looked around.  She recognized the room around her as the rec room; and moved to sit up.  A sudden throb in her head caused her to lay back and she groaned from the dull pain and closed her eyes.

A soft voice called from behind her.  "Don' be sittin' up too fast, cher."

Remy slowly sat down across from her on one of the leather recliners and leaned forward.  "You had quite da spill."

She thought for a moment then remembered striking the concrete.  Even the memory hurt.  "How'd ah get here?"

Gambit smiled.  "I carried you 'ere.  De impact knocked you out… couldn't jus' leave you, no?"

Rogue smiled.  "No…and thanks."

Slowly she struggled to sit up and straightened herself on the couch.  After a quick look over she nodded.  "Nice to know nothin's broken."

Remy chuckled and moved over to the couch beside her.  "Yeah, you pretty tough."

Someone approached the room and Gambit looked over and cocked an eyebrow.  It was Bobby.  

He walked over and knelt next to the young woman on the couch and smiled.  "I heard what happened.  Are you alright?"

He reached an arm up to stroke her shoulder and she flinched then calmly pushed the arm aside.  "Why do you keep askin' that?"

Remy nodded to himself and stood, turning back to Rogue.  "You got some tings to talk about.  I be in da war room."  His words fell on almost deaf ears.

Bobby leaned in closer to Rogue's face.  "What about us?  What about the kiss?"

She shook her head.  "You mean the kiss that could've killed ya?  Wake up.  There _can't_ be an us."

Bobby stood quickly and left the room, chasing after the Cajun.  Gambit was ready this time and ducked, just as the punch would have collided with the back of his head.  In the same movement he caught Iceman's outstretched hand and pulled him forward, kicking his leg back and tripping Drake.

Bobby winced at the impact with the smooth metal deck and tried to roll away, but Gambit still held his hand and twisted it to the side, sending an arc of pain up the younger man's arm.  "Da first one was free, mon ami."

Bobby scowled.  "Who the hell do you think you are?  You'd better pray –"

"Ahem" Iceman was cut off by a gruff voice from down the corridor.  "What the hell are you two doin'?"

Remy stood, greeting Wolverine with a smile.  "I was jus' teachin' how to do a take-down from behind."  

Logan shrugged and continued by, on his way to the war room and stopped, turning back to the younger X-Men.  "Next time do that in the danger room where you can be watched.  Don't want ya accidentally killin' each other."

Gambit suppressed the laugh that had been building and looked down to Iceman, whose hand he still held in its twisted position.  "Maybe nex' time."  He released his grip and continued along after Wolverine, as Bobby slammed his closed fist against the metal floor.

-Sorry I haven't updated as fast as usual, but here's another.  Oh and BTW… I ain't tellin' if Maddie's good or bad.  It's just one of those things.  =)

Anywho, I know it's short, but more will be up soon.

-Ryko


	18. Eclipse

**Chapter 17: Eclipse**

Xavier School for the Gifted

Scott sat up and groaned, looking around the infirmary.  _Where is everyone?_

With a quick movement he jumped down from the examination table and nearly fell to the floor, just barely managing to catch his fall.  Slower this time, he tried again to stand and regained his balance and started for the exit.

The doors slid open and Beast led the way with a gurney in tow, Cable pushing it from behind.  Scott's eyes widened beneath his crimson glasses as he stepped out of the way, watching as Maddie was being wheeled in, screaming in obvious pain.  

Beast turned to him and snapped him out of his daze with a shout.  "Can you help me?  She's gone into labor!"

The afternoon sun hung in the crystal blue sky and Gambit squinted beneath the black sunglasses he wore.  He took a quick look around, making sure he wasn't followed, and quietly slipped into the garage.

He made his way to Scott's motorcycle and ran a hand over the chrome finish.  He placed both hands on the bike and heard movement to his left as the inner door opened, a lone shadow in the doorway.

Logan approached the younger man and smiled.  "Now just what were you plannin' on doin' huh?"

Remy smiled.  "Ol' Gambit?  Nuttin', mon ami.  You?"

Wolverine looked around sheepishly and cocked a grin.  "Well I was gonna take a ride, but looks like someone beat me to the punch."

Gambit straddled the bike and kicked the stand away, testing the weight.  "You ain't gonna tell?"

Logan turned and waived a hand in dismissal, disappearing back inside.  "Bring 'er back in once peace, alright?"

Remy nodded and started up the motorcycle, taking a final check around.  _Nobody'll miss me if I step out for a bit._

He gunned the engine and roared off through the parted garage doors, streaking down the tree-lined path to the street.  He hung a right and felt as the wind blew through his hair, his path taking him to Salem Inn, a tavern not too far away.

Rogue walked down the mansion corridor, her knee-high steeled toe boots clanking against the hardwood floors.  She peered through every open door along the way and sighed.  _Where is he?_

Logan rounded a corner and stopped, looking her over.  She was wearing a black leather skirt and black leggings, with a shiny, long sleeved purple PVC shirt.  "Where you off to?"

Rogue dismissed his comment as she continued to scan the vicinity and finally sighed in defeat.  "Have ya seen Remy?"

The man nodded and gestured in the direction he had come from.  "He took the bike.  I think he went to town… Why?"

Rogue suddenly met his gaze and smiled, blushing slightly.  "No reason."

Logan shook his head and kept walking, ducking into the kitchen and grabbing a beer.

Remy sat at the back of the bar, watching the crowd around him.  Casually he took a sip of his beer and sat it down, followed by a puff of his cigarette.  He had been there for a while now and had been working on his third drink as the doors opened.

Remy smiled and ground the butt into the ashtray.

He watched as she stepped inside and looked around and finally Gambit stood.  "Cher!"

She spotted him almost instantly and made her way through the mob to his secluded table and sat observing the bar around her.  "Ah've nevah been in here b'fore."

Gambit chuckled, seating himself.  "Tis ok."  He waited a moment and leaned forward over the circular table between them.  "You wan' a drink?"

Rogue thought for a moment and nodded, looking over to his half empty glass.  "What're ya havin'?"

Gambit nodded and flagged a waitress who casually sauntered over.  He held up his glass and tapped the rim with his finger.  "Two more, if you be so kind."

The woman nodded and turned away, heading back to the bar.

Remy reached over and took Rogue's gloved hand, lightly brushing his thumb over her fingers.  He stared deeply into her eyes and smiled.  "You beautiful, y'know that?"

Rogue blushed and turned away slightly then met his gaze again.  "You really _are_ a charmer."

-Well here's another…. Now for all of you who are just reading and NOT reviewin'…. Why not?  We writers live off of reviews!  I love to hear from the people who read my stuff and would like YOU to at least say a few words.

Anyways…. Thanks all for enjoying and keep checking up, 'cause there's more to come.

-Ryko 


	19. Firestorm

**Chapter 18: Firestorm**

Scott's voice was soft, barely a whisper as he sat next to Maddie on the bed in the infirmary.  "Have you thought of a name?"

For a moment she thought and finally nodded lightly and looking over to Cable who tried hard to keep his distance.  "For his godfather… Nathan."

Scott smiled and nodded to the soldier, turning back to Madeline and the baby boy in her arms.  "I always liked Christopher… and I promised that I would name my first born Charles… after the Professor."

Maddie smiled and looked down at the bundle in her arms.  "Nathan Christopher… Charles Summers."

Alkali Lake

It floated above the Earth, unseen to most down on the surface.  With fiery wings spread it soared, searching.

It was a being that no one could really understand… a being of light.  It had memories and feelings and at this particular moment, it was lonely.

The being remembered finding the host… remembered lying dormant and slowly waking, giving the host power and responsibility, but something had happened.  A sacrifice.

The host needed to save her friends.  The being remembered the sensation at that instant.  It was love and sorrow.

The being felt the cold of the water rushing around the host and remembered as she had drifted away from the being.  It was death.

The being swooped down to the expanse of water and a feeling of joy overwhelmed it.  It felt the host not far away and flapped its wings of fire to get there faster.

The host drew closer and soon the Phoenix dipped and burrowed itself deep into the lifeless shell, focusing to reconstruct all that had been lost… but it wasn't enough.  Phoenix felt weak without the other part and so couldn't bring the host back, but instead merely keep her safe.

Xavier School for the Gifted 

The next morning

Rogue squinted as sunlight streamed in through her bedroom window.  She moved slightly and aside from the hangover, felt happy for the first time since the orphanage.

She rolled slightly and suddenly became aware of the form in the bed beside her and rolled.  Remy smiled back, obviously exhausted.  "G'mornin' cher."

Startled, she sat up, stretching the covers over her and realized finally that she still wore her clothes from the night before.  "Did we…"

Gambit cut her off as he sat up.  "Now would I still be breathin' if…?  I jus' watch over you last night and nuttin' more."

~~

Xavier sighed, watching Logan pace around his office with a look of determination.  "You have chosen an awkward moment to run off, again."

Logan stopped in his tracks and turned, facing the Professor.  "Jean's still out there.  I'm gonna find her, Chuck."

The bald man nodded and closed his eyes.  "At least take a communicator with you this time.  You may be needed.  After all, we still have a threat to deal with, in spite of the fact that Apocalypse has seemed to have disappeared."

Wolverine reached for the door handle and opened the door, disappearing down the hallway.  He made his way back to the garage and over to the bike then stopped and sighed, looking at the fuel gauge.  "He didn't even fill it up."

A black jeep sat parked at the far side of the garage and Logan marched over to it and climbed in, starting it up.  "I'm comin' Jeannie."

~~

Bobby Drake stormed down the corridor to Rogue's room, hoping to talk to her about the fight from the day before.  He stopped in front of her door and shuffled for a few moments then reached up, preparing to knock.

The door opened and Remy's smile faded immediately.  "Oh.  G'mornin'…"

Bobby looked passed him and spotted Rogue under the covers and anger welled inside him.  His body began to grow colder, as ice formed on the outside of his skin and his clothes; and in a matter of seconds, his whole body had changed into ice.

Remy stared in disbelief, straightening his t-shirt.  Rogue rolled in bed and her eyes grew wide at the sight at her door.  She sprang out of bed and rushed to Gambit's side.  "Bobby?"

Iceman stood with his fists clenched then looked over to her.  "How could you do this to me?"

Rogue tried to think of something to say, but could only stare at the new level of his mutant ability.  Finally she swallowed.  "Ah think you'd bettah go."

Iceman glared at her with frozen eyes.  "Or what?"

She pushed past Remy and stood right in front of him.  "Or Ah'm gonna have ta knock some sense into ya."

His eyes were the first things to regain colour, then his face and soon his whole body returned to normal.  "So it's really over between us?"

Rogue nodded with a stern look.  "Ah'm sorry."

-Well here you are.  BTW as per a nice request, I started to mark the scene changes, so it should be an easier read.  Enjoy!

-Ryko


	20. Sunset Unseen

**Chapter 19: Sunset Unseen**

Egypt

The footsteps echoed loudly in the sandstone temple, though on the inside it was a stark contrast to the traditional architecture of ancient times. Banks of strange lights were imbedded in the ceilings of the twisting corridors, stretching almost endlessly beneath the rolling sands above.

In a grand throne room the massive form of Apocalypse made his way to his throne and spun, taking a seat. He smiled inwardly, having drained countless amounts of energy, both from various flatscans… and from the temple itself.

The demigod looked over the group that occupied the room with him… his 'Dark Riders' and smiled. There were four of them, all mutants and all fashioned after gods from Egypt's past… Anubis, Horus, Isis and Set.

Standing in rows behind them were dozens of Acolytes… flatscan slaves, each dressed in red, hooded robes, and carrying long staves with sickle-like blades on the end.

Anubis stepped forward his eyes glowing a menacing orange. "My Lord, the virus has been synthesized."

Apocalypse stood and turned to a large monitor on one side, displaying a computer model of a techno-organic virus. "At last the time has come to purge this world of the weak."

* * *

Xavier School for the Gifted

The mutants known as the X-Men, sat in the war-room around the large, circular table. They were mulling over their newest mission and Scott spoke up. "Maddie can't leave the baby here alone. She has to stay behind."

Xavier shook his head. "I'm sorry Scott. She is the only one who has managed to find Apocalypse. We need the two of you with us. If Storm's powers were back at full strength… then maybe we would have the liberty of leaving her here. All of you are needed, especially since Logan has once again left as well."

Rogue shot a glance to Bobby across the table, then to Remy at her side and back to the Professor. "Ah guess we're goin' to Egypt."

Charles nodded. "The Blackbird takes off in an hour. I will be going to Muir Island to check up on Angel, so regretfully I will not be joining you."

* * *

The Blackbird roared away from the mansion and rose higher in the sky, dipping up over the clouds. For all the passengers onboard, a sense of unease took over.

None of them knew what to expect, or if they would return home after facing Apocalypse.

Remy looked over to Rogue and smiled wryly, taking her gloved hand in his. She met his gaze and tried to smile back, but ultimately failed and looked away momentarily. Their eyes locked again and she lost herself in the man's mystery and his strange eyes. "Ah'm glad you're here."

Gambit grinned. "Why cher, y'know Gambit'll nevah leave you."

* * *

Professor Xavier took a moment to mull over the last bit of information that Beast had given him, before grabbing the rest of his files. When the baby had been born, the tests had come back and it was confirmed. The baby was the same man that had come back through time. The truth of the matter was, that little Nathan had to be there in Egypt with the rest, in spite of the risk.

The future as well as the present depended on it.

* * *

Temple of the Askanis

3300 AD

Dozens of robed men and women knelt, their swords placed neatly by their sides. A gong rang in the darkness before them and they bowed, as four more entered the room.

One of the 'four' stepped forward, looking over the kneeling clan. "The time has come for the prophecy to be fulfilled. One volunteer shall be sent to save the chosen one - just as the Professor has foreseen. Who shall take on such a noble task?"

One of the robed figures stood and slowly walked up to the dais, removing the hood and letting her dark hair fall gently to her shoulders. The elders looked her over and each one nodded. One of them reached a hand out and took the woman's. "You make a sacrifice for the order. You will have to remain in seclusion when you return. You will have to train the chosen one in our warrior ways, so that the great evil can be defeated. Do you accept these tasks?"

The woman nodded and turned to look over the assembly. "The chosen one shall be raised as my child… as a child of the Askanis."

* * *

Egypt

The Not Too Distant Future

The X-Men stood in the rolling sands after debarking the sleek, black jet; Madeline cradling little Nathan in her arms. She hated that he had to be brought along. She wished he could stay behind in safety.

Scott stood next to her, looking over the monument ahead of them in the dark of night. It was partially exposed in the sand dune, showing off a carving in the likeness of Apocalypse. "So he's here?"

Madeline nodded.

The group made their way forward, searching for their means of entry. Sand started to roll down the sloping dune as a shadowy figure clawed to the surface. More figures appeared from the sands, wearing crimson robes and armed with scythes.

Cyclops stopped and everyone took his lead as more and more Acolytes appeared. "Rogue! Get Cable and Madeline inside! The rest of us will hold them off!"

The Acolytes rushed forward and Scott fired a blast of energy, knocking two of them back. The sands erupted in mayhem as the crimson soldiers tried to surround the X-Men and Rogue rushed forward.

With the force of a freight train she struck one of them and sent him flying back into a small cluster of his comrades with a yelp of pain.

Cable draped his arm around Maddie and pressed forward, an energy weapon in his free hand. Every so often he'd take aim and fire, as an Acolyte got too close and allowing the three of them to make it to the towering entrance.

Cable looked over the door and sighed. "Now what?"

Rogue grinned and took to flight, backing off then streaking forward over Nate and Madeline's heads. She slammed into the barrier hard, crumpling it inwards and with a final kick, sent it crashing away.

The trio dashed inside quickly and disappeared down the dark stairwell into the bowels of Apocalypse's citadel.

* * *

Well I know it's been awhile, but here's another chapter for all you out there in fic land. I'm just getting ready to finish this tale, so look out!

-Nate


	21. Reckoning part 1

**Chapter 20: Reckoning Part 1**

Egypt

Rogue hovered above the ground, just ahead of Madeline and Cable brought up the rear. A sudden flash caused him to step back as a glowing blade struck the ground where he had just been.

Rogue spun with her hands clenched and caught sight of the figure in the shadows as it stepped forward, the dim light reflecting from the tip of his metal beak. Strange energy radiated from its hands as it grasped the sword, seeping into the very metal.

The falcon-headed guardian swung the great blade again and Rogue dashed forward, taking the strike to her torso. There was an explosion of sparks and she fell to the ground, smoke rising from where she took the hit.

Horus swung his head up at Cable and he opened fire, knocking the attacker back. Madeline looked around frantically and smiled, seeing a sharp protrusion from the wall.

Quickly she shot her gaze towards Horus and using her telekinetic abilities, launched him at the jagged metal with brutal force.

* * *

The fighting had started to die down and Scott looked around, seeing that most of the Acolytes had been beaten and those that hadn't – made their escape. "Beast… take the rest and guard the Blackbird."

Before the blue-furred mutant could respond, Cyclops already disappeared through the entrance into the citadel, leaving the rest behind.

The corridor twisted along and Scott cautiously pressed forward, watching for any sign of the others. His footsteps echoed around him and every-so-often he thought he could hear someone else close by, but shook his head, seeing nothing but the empty tunnel.

* * *

Elsewhere

Sinister sat in his darkened lab and within the sanctity of the tesseract. With grim satisfaction he stared blankly ahead at the main monitor and smiled at what he saw. Finally he understood.

There was a flash behind him and he spun in his bio-mechanical chair, coming to face a robed figure in the shadows. Sinister shook his head. "You shouldn't be here! How is it possible?"

The hooded figure stepped forward, revealing her features to the pale-skinned Essex. "Each of us play a role in fate Nathaniel. It is time for you to finish what you began so long ago."

* * *

The Citadel of Apocalypse

Cyclops crept through the eerie catacombs, finally coming to a great chamber. He looked around in awe and his stomach sank. Hundreds of bodies lay stacked in neat rows, crudely wrapped in burial bandages.

Scott approached the nearest and looked down to the form of a woman, her face shriveled and contorted in pain. She was dead. They all were.

Slowly he walked along and stopped before a massive sarcophagus in the center of the room. The lid lay on the ground beside, bearing the semblance of the demigod, adorned with the crown and headdress of an Egyptian lord. "My… god."

Shrill laughter echoed from behind him and Scott spun as the guardian approached. His skin was dark blue and, like the carving on the sarcophagus, he too wore an Egyptian crown. "You are correct. The exalted one is the god of even the gods."

Cyclops shook his head, his hand rising slowly to reach the switch on his visor.

Set laughed. "You are a fool. The will of Apocalypse is supreme."

Crimson energy filled the room as Cyclops released the vicious beam. Suddenly a storm of electricity exploded from the Dark Rider as his body seemed to dematerialize.

Scott paused in the blast and for a moment all seemed quiet. "Too easy."

Suddenly an arc of electrical energy shot toward the ground from somewhere above and Set reappeared, glowing with the power of a storm. "Indeed."

The X-Man went to fire another blast and pain rippled through his body as Set unleashed a barrage of lightning that coiled around the black leather uniform. He screamed in pain as his muscles tightened and finally the pain subsided.

With a gasp he fell to his knees.

* * *

Bobby Drake drummed his fingers over the paneling of the Blackbird's interior, keeping time with the song that ran through his head. Finally he stopped and looked over to Nightcrawler. "Aren't you tired of waiting here? We should be down there, helping them."

Kurt smiled wryly. "If dat be dere vish, dey vould tell us."

The Iceman stood and shook his head, walking past the elf-like mutant and descended the boarding ramp. Beast sat outside, staring off over the horizon and turned slightly as Bobby came into sight. "Come to see the sights? It really is marvelous."

Bobby shook his head. "I just wanted some air."

Henry shrugged as the youth continued by, shuffling his boots through the sand.

Gambit leaned against the jet's hull, absentmindedly shuffling the deck of cards in his hands. Bobby shot him a glance and ran a hand through his short hair. "You wanna get down there as badly as I do… don't you?"

The shuffling stopped and the Cajun looked over to him. "Maybe."

"Look. I hate you. I probably always will, but they need us. We wouldn't be here if they didn't… right?"

Gambit just stood in silence.

Bobby shook his head and stormed off in the direction of the citadel, ice crystals forming on the outside of his uniform. By the time he made it to the entrance, a hand settled on his icy shoulder.

He cocked his head and met Gambit's sly grin. Remy chuckled. "Wouldn' be smart… lettin' you go down der alone."

* * *

Well it's been a long but fun trip and just one more chapter to go!!!! Thank you all for your reviews and please, keep 'em coming!

-Nate


	22. Reckoning part 2

**Chapter 21: Reckoning Part 2**

Alkali Lake

The being was warm, holding the shape of a pyrotechnic bird and embracing the form of Jean Grey gently as she lay there on the grass.

Jean was the host and the host was now lifeless, but the being remained even still to watch over her.

The being was suddenly alerted as a form emerged from the shadows of the thick tree line, but it was too late… the being had been sighted.

The woman gestured to the being slowly. "I intend no harm. I am here to serve… to help you regain what was taken away."

A man appeared behind the woman, his features wicked and his soul full of darkness as the being could feel. The man made the being feel uneasy but the woman calmed the being with her presence.

Sinister turned to the Askani, bewildered. "This entity is why you came to me?"

The Askani woman nodded slowly, never averting her gaze from the Phoenix. "All things are prophesized. Jean Grey's time is long from now as you have already made certain of."

Essex shook his head. "You're speaking in riddles. What am I supposed to do? What is this prophecy?"

The Askanis shook her head. "You are the one who outlined the destiny of our clan. You are the one who told us of how the world should never be. You sought power that you could never hope to control and you sent me to protect the past."

She met Sinister's stunned gaze and smiled lightly. "Do you understand? Your plan will fail, but I'm here ensure that you will have a second chance."

Sinister turned back to the fiery being, lost in the luminescent beauty. "What now?"

"We wait."

* * *

Cyclops had never felt such intense pain, like the very fibers of his being stripped away by the electricity that coursed through him. Suddenly the world grew clear again as the pain subsided. Set was now screaming.

The guardian's rage washed over the smoking form of the X-man and he smiled, watching as ice crystals materialized over Apocalypse's minion, dissipating the electricity.

Set's cries ceased as his body was completely solidified in ice then shattered a moment later as Bobby Drake's kick made contact.

Scott coughed and stood, greeting the younger man. "Good work. Now let's go."

Iceman paused. "Hey wait… where's Gambit?"

* * *

The corridors were dark and quiet and Remy proceeded as carefully as he could manage. A shadow caught his attention and he stopped.

A figure slowly came into view and Gambit took a step back.

The woman wore the ceremonial garbs of an Egyptian noble, though her skin was black and covered in fine fur. Her eyes were a striking yellow with thin black slits down the center. She brought her hands up offensively and Gambit noticed the razor-like claws on her fingers that she flexed reflexively.

The Cajun's voice came out a whisper. "wha's new pussy cat."

Isis lunged forward and Remy ducked to the left, feeling the claws rake down his right side in a swift motion and drawing out a yelp of pain.

Quickly the X-man reached into his coat and in a single, fluid motion, took hold of a playing card, charged it with his mutant gift and tossed it at the attacking cat-woman.

The explosion caught Isis in the chest and flung her backwards against the wall as Gambit took the blast and flipped through the air, landing on his feet.

He chuckled at the crumpled form of Isis. "So cats don' always land on der feet, eh?"

The feline's form moved and her head snapped up, snarling. She lunged once more.

Gambit saw it coming and moved faster, brushing his hand over the thick metal collar she wore and landed a few meters away with a sly grin.

Isis panicked when she suddenly realized what had happened and frantically clawed at her neck but the explosion was too quick for her.

* * *

Cable raced forward, dragging Maddie by her wrist while she carried the baby in her arms. The tunnel suddenly widened and they entered a large chamber and froze.

The deep, reverberating echo of laughter filled the room and Cable looked around frantically. He knew that laugh. The soldier spotted a dark form in the shadows and stepped forward. "Apocalypse!"

The footfalls were massive as the demigod strode toward them, the chamber suddenly illuminating, the lights reflecting off the immortal's armored skin. "Welcome my would-be servants! So good that you could join me on my day of triumph!"

Apocalypse glanced over his shoulder and the Jackal-headed nightrider approached with a vile of green liquid in his hand.

The demigod took the vile from Anubis and smiled. "This is the end for the weak. Only the strong shall remain in my wake."

* * *

Alkali Lake

Wolverine stared in disbelief at the crowd that surrounded Jean Grey's body and the fiery apparition that hovered above. Slowly he crept forward, but not wanting to risk anything happing to her… finally stood and stepped into the open.

Askani turned and smiled. "You are Logan. To save Jean you must assist us now."

* * *

Egypt

Rogue flew through the cramped corridors with ease, finally emerging in the main throne room with Maddie and Cable where she slowed to a stop before Apocalypse.

There was a sudden blur of motion and before Rogue realized what had happened, Apocalypse had Maddie by the throat in one hand and cradled her baby in his other arm while the vile was still clenched tightly in his fist.

Anubis charged Rogue and she spun, catching him with her right hand and knocking him senseless.

Cable moved to intercept the demigod but a flash of orange sent him crashing backwards into Rogue. From out of nowhere, fire ripped through the room and even Apocalypse looked on in confusion.

A fierce roar came from the center of the flames and a form emerged with fire rippling over his body. Metal claws sprang from the flaming beings hands as it slammed into the demigod, slicing Apocalypse's arm from his body and dropping the baby to the floor.

Logan crashed to the ground a meter away and the flames subsided, the burns already beginning to heal themselves as the demigod roared in anger. With a quick flick of his massive wrist, Apocalypse snapped Maddie's neck with his remaining hand.

Another flash filled the room as the fire erupted again, this time rising from Madeline Pryor's still form. It rose into the air and stopped, joining with the flames that still occupied the room.

There was another flash and more people appeared. The flames seemed to die down and in moments the room returned to normal.

Apocalypse sneered and the unconscious forms of Rogue and Cable, then turned to Wolverine. "You are weak mutant! See how I am superior?"

Logan looked up at him and flinched, watching as a strange substance flowed from the demigod's severed limb and rebuilt it.

A powerful voice boomed from the shadows. "Leave him alone!"

Apocalypse spun, faced with the same girl he had just killed. Suddenly fire exploded from Jean Grey, wrapping itself around the towering demigod.

* * *

All control was lost. The being had fulfilled it's destiny and returned life to the host. Now as it circled the evil it looked once again to the stars and shot upward, tearing through metal and stone, dragging the evil into the void… into space.

* * *

Apocalypse was gone and the fire had dissipated.

Cyclops burst into the room and spotted the broken form of Madeline… dead on the floor. He moved slowly over to her when a voice caught him by surprise.

"Scott!"

He snapped his head around and stared in disbelief as Jean Grey slowly walked towards him. She wrapped her arms around him and drew him close but he pushed her away gently. "I'm sorry…"

She shook her head. "I don't understand…"

He didn't say anything more and just turned, heading for the surface. Wolverine stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. "He just needs time, red…"

Jean nodded then darted quickly for the small form in the shadows. "My baby!"

* * *

Xavier School for the Gifted

Henry McCoy scowled as he analyzed the latest sample from the baby. Cyclops, Jean and Cable all crowded behind him in the infirmary and the blue-furred doctor finally turned to meet their combined, worried gazes. "That vile seemed to contain an artificial virus. It's techno-organic in nature and will continue to spread… eventually killing him."

Beast shook his head. "I'm sorry but I don't know what to do."

Out of the shadows a dark shape appeared, strips of cloth flowing around him like living tendrils. "I might have an idea," Sinister said, closely followed by another.

The other that followed was Askani and she quickly moved to where the baby lay. Her voice was soft and soothing and she smiled. "I can help him but not here. I can take him to a place where he will be cured. Will you let me take him to save his life?"

Scott shook his head. "Who are you anyway? You just can't come…"

Jean cut him off. "If you can cure him, then do so."

Askani nodded and took the baby in her arms. In a sudden flash she disappeared. Sinister was gone as well.

* * *

Night had fallen and Remy smiled, looking up at the moon. The Cajun took a puff of his cigarette and slowly exhaled, before noticing the form that crept up beside him. "Hey chere."

Rogue smiled, flying up then lowering herself on the perimeter wall next to him. "Hi."

Slowly Gambit wrapped his arm around her and she leaned into him and the two just sat and stared at the moon.

* * *

Professor X looked across to Storm who paced in his office and finally nodded. "Yes, he has returned. Apocalypse is alive but the X-Men shall stand against him as they will stand against all who would destroy the peace we have built."

Ororo's voice was soft and melodic. "Will it be enough?"

Xavier shrugged. "Only time will be certain, but in the end it has to be."

* * *

Well here it is!!!

I know it's been a while since I've finished this but what better than to leave a cliffhanger? I know… lame excuse. Anyhow if I get enough reviews I'll start another story!

-Ryko


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